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The NYS GIS Association Mourns the Loss of Dr. Lee Herrington
The NYS GIS Association mourns the loss of one of its pioneers, Dr. Lee Herrington. Dr. Herrington died on September 19th at the age of 88. His influence on the development of GIS in New York State cannot be overstated. Below are just a few of the tributes that have poured in on GISNY-L since the announcement of his death.
“Lee was a great person who touched many over the course of his personal and professional life. He will be missed and the New York State GIS community will forever be indebted to him for his contribution to our profession’s efforts.” – Sam Wear
“In the early years of joining the GIS community and the NYS GIS Association, Lee gave a workshop before a yearly NYSGISA conference. It was incredibly helpful and his whole manner of encouraging us and helping us through our frustrations just illustrated what a great teacher and communicator he was.” – Paula Kay Lazrus
“Dr. Lee Herrington greatly influenced me as a member of my MS thesis committee. His door was always open and even had a sign “Please Don’t Knock Just Come On In.” “Great BBQs at his house too for his students and friends.” – Bruce Willett
“I too have many great memories of Lee of both my undergraduate work at ESF and my Master’s work. He always had kind words for me and gave me the confidence I needed to take on my first job. His wife [who died earlier this year] was also very kind to me when I worked at Moon Library. ” – Mike Fitzgerald
“I had the honor of presenting Lee with the NYSGISA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He was an inspiration to me in just the first few minutes of conversation!” – Ross Baldwin
“He was so easy to work with and guided me through my work with a gentle touch. His usual answer to “Can I do this?” was “Why not?” I like to think that his mentoring example has influenced my management style. Really he was one of a handful of father figures in my life.” “I will miss his smile, his wisdom, and his stories.” – Jeff Herter
“… Lee worked with me to develop a course schedule that would give me the experience I needed in GIS. He was very flexible and did all he could to help me out. I remember him inviting my wife and me to his place. He was always so generous to us. He took me under his wing and worked endlessly to help me succeed. He kind of became a second father figure to me.” – Mickey Dietrich
“I plan to create a Story Map honoring Dr. Herrington.” “I am inspired to work on this tribute and hope that many of you will participate. I will be posting more information to GISNY-L in the next week or so.” – Lis DeGironimo
In addition to the picture, above, of Dr. Herrington with his students and colleagues at the 2019 Annual Meeting, there are other pictures of him receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the NYS GIS Association.
Dr. Herrington’s obituary can be found at https://rwwfh.com/tribute/details/1446/Dr-Lee-Herrington/obituary.html